Over 600 members of the Indian community and friends of India gathered in "India House" -- the Ambassadors residence in Wassenaar, the Netherlands --to celebrate Indias 72nd Independence Day.
This was the largest Independence Day gathering ever in the Netherlands and organized the second time at the 'India House' in Wassenaar. For the first time, Mayors of two leading cities of the Netherlands - Utrecht and Wassenaar - Jan van Zanen and Frank Koen also took part in the celebrations.
The celebrations began with the hoisting of the Indian flag by Indian Ambassador Venu Rajamony, singing of the National anthem and reading out President Ram Nath Kovind's address to the nation.
This was followed by patriotic songs by the local music group "Madras Chorus" and kathak and odissi fusion dance performance by Netherlands Marathi Mandal. The participants were served delicious Indian snacks.
India and the Netherlands have a long history of friendly bilateral relations going back to more than 400 years, encompassing many areas of shared interest. The Netherlands is one of first three countries that established diplomatic relations with independent India in 1947. Prime Minster of India Narendra Modi visited the Netherlands on June 27, 2017. During his visit, he met with King Willem-Alexander and Prime Minister Rutte as well as his senior cabinet colleagues. He participated in a CEOs Roundtable and interacted with Queen Máxima in her capacity as UNSG's special advocate for financial inclusion.
--IANS
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